Rafah crossing reopening cannot be underestimated – it hints at success for Gaza ceasefire

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Border has been closed since May 2024 for even the most urgent medical cases and evacuations are significant first step

Please God let the injured get treatment – Mark

The Rafah terminal that marks the crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt straddles a complicated border. On the Egyptian side, a double arch marks the entry to the terminal buildings themselves, and beyond, Gaza.
Television cameras on the Egyptian side caught the moment on Saturday that the crossing, which has been closed since May, was reopened for medical evacuations showing one young girl, whose foot had been amputated, being loaded into an Egyptian ambulance.
What cannot be underestimated is that any reopening of Rafah, even partial, is a moment of considerable significance.
Amid the long years of Israeli blockade that followed Hamas’s takeover of the coastal strip in 2007, Rafah – the only crossing out of Gaza that does not border Israel – has been seen as a safety valve as a potential access to the outside world.
If it was never really available to many, at least the possibility existed.
For a period earlier in the war, Rafah was the exit point for Palestinians with dual passports, employed by foreign organisations, or with the financial wherewithal and connections to pay to be put on an Egyptian list to leave.

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www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/01/rafah-crossing-reopening-cannot-be-underestimated-hints-success-gaza-ceasefire

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